


cut like diamonds

by vulpexin



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), K-pop, Real Person Fiction, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, liskook, lizkook
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-03-01 08:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpexin/pseuds/vulpexin
Summary: Theoretically, it should have been an easy arrangement: in exchange for letting her stay at his flat until she got back on her feet, all Lisa Manoban would have to do is fake date Jeon Jungkook for a few months to divert the media's long-lasting fascination with his broken engagement.In reality, well, it may be a little messier.





	1. burning flames or paradise

It's through sheer luck that Lisa wakes up five minutes before her stop and it's during times like these when she supposes being a light sleeper comes in handy. Though, to be completely fair, she hadn't been _sleeping_ exactly. It was more of a "close her eyes and ignore all the stares" type of thing which means that being a light sleeper is _still_ a pain in the arse and has no redeeming qualities.

But she digresses.

A loose strand of blonde hair falls in front of her vision and she huffs, pushing it back behind her ears and ignoring the entranced eyes that followed her every movement. Being one-eighth Veela always seemed like it was more trouble than it was worth; it wasn't enough to give her anything than enhanced beauty but she still bore the weight of all the stereotypes that associated with full Veela.

A cheerful voice comes on over the speaker, announcing the station name as the train slowly comes to a stop. Careful to not make any eye contact, Lisa gets off as soon as the door opens with only a backpack and her suitcase. The platform is full of busy people rushing to get to their destinations and upon a cursory glance, nobody _really_ stands out—well, she takes that back.

She approaches a man who looks half asleep leaning against a pillar, seemingly undisturbed by all the loud footsteps and conversations. He's wearing a snapback, brim facing the front to shield his face, and dark sunglasses. She recognizes the slope of his jaw though and his lean build—how could she _not_ when he has graced the covers of so many newspapers and magazines lately?

Jeon Jungkook, also famously known as one of Puddlemere United's Chasers. According to Kim Jennie, a fellow writer at the _Daily Prophet_ who actually followed Quidditch, Jungkook had defied all exceptions while attending Hogwarts and won Ravenclaw the Quidditch Cup for the three consecutive years he was captain. It was no surprise to anyone that he was recruited so soon after he graduated and has been doing well ever since. Lisa wouldn't know though—unlike Jennie, who went to Hogwarts, she had gone to Mahoutokoro to study.

He shifts, glancing up curiously when she comes to a stop in front of him. She supposes that a plus side to being famous is that he's used to dealing with unexpected questions on the spot.

"Would you prefer pregnancy rumors or eloping?" Lisa says with her most flirtatious smile.

"Eloping, of course," he responds automatically with a grin and pushes off the pillar to stand upright. Her smile fades into a softer, gentler one. "I'm Jeon Jungkook. I'm assuming you're Lisa Manoban, right?"

She studies him, the way his hands remain in his pockets and the careful distance between them. "Right," Lisa says slowly. She shifts her weight to one leg and bites her lip, watching as his gaze follows. "What gave it away?"

Lisa's not sure what she expects from him—maybe a comment about how she's pretty, sexy, gorgeous, all things she's used to hearing because of her Veela blood—but not this. "Nothing," Jungkook says with a shrug, "I was just hoping I wasn't wrong." He steps forwards, glancing around as he takes his sunglasses off in a fluid motion. Almost immediately, there's a surge in chatter from the crowd around them as more inquiring looks are sent their way. Jungkook merely tilts his head, a faint smile playing on his lips that betrays his amusement. "Do you get queasy easily?"

Lisa narrows her eyes as she tries to figure out what he's getting at. "Not really?"

"Good," Jungkook says. "Then I'll Apparate us to my flat, if you don't mind."

When she nods, he only hesitates for a moment before he steps even closer, gripping his wand in one hand and reaching out for her hand with the other. It's an unnecessary move—he could have grabbed her arm instead—but it's purely for show, for people to gossip and kickstart rumors about them. And Lisa barely has any time to react before she feels a familiar tug and a loud _crack_ resonate in the air.

To her satisfaction, underneath all the noise, she hears the sound of a camera shutter right before she's transported away.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The pub is already pretty crowded when Lisa arrives later that night and it takes her a moment to locate Jennie and Jisoo, who are seated at a table near the bar. Jennie looks put together as always, red lips pursed as she absently drums her nails on the table. Jisoo, on the other hand, looks unfairly gorgeous despite dressing more casually and wearing no makeup (Jisoo claimed that because dragons ran hot and there's was always the potential of being singed by fire, there's was no point in wearing makeup that would inevitably melt off her face).

"Chaeyoung couldn't make it?" Lisa asks as she sits down across from them. They've ordered without her; there's an assortment of finger food on the table—chicken wings, french fries, onion rings—as well as drinks.

Jennie slides a glass of beer over to Lisa. "We couldn't even reach her. As always. I guess that's the consequence of being an Unspeakable."

Meanwhile, Jisoo is immediately reaching for the food. "I thought I was going to starve to death before you got here," she tells Lisa before taking a bite from a chicken wing with an exaggerated moan.

Lisa laughs. "I was unpacking my stuff."

"That's right," Jennie leans forward in interest, a familiar gleam appearing in her eyes. There's a reason she's in charge of Blablabla, _Daily Prophet's_ gossip column. "You moved in with Jungkook today, didn't you?" At Lisa's nod, she continues, "So what's his flat like? What's _he_ like?"

Jungkook's flat was more spacious than she would have imagined, monochrome and modern in a way that was popular among Muggles right now—and oddly empty too. She guesses that he's often away from home, always practicing with his team, that he never really found the time or need to decorate. "It's clean. And he's nice enough, I guess." She hasn't spent enough time with him and in his apartment to really have strong opinions about either yet.

"I wish I could be dating a Quidditch player," Jennie sighs.

" _Fake_ dating," Lisa quickly corrects. "Besides, you could have moved in with him and let me live with Nayeon instead, if you really wanted."

"I could never," Jennie gasps. "That chaotic bitch would die without me."

"Sorry, Lili. I would have offered if I had my own flat." Jisoo often travels between England and Romania due to working primarily at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary; whenever she comes back to England, she just crashes at her brother Kim Minseok's place. Jisoo pauses in the middle of a bite, looking concerned. "You do feel more safe at Jungkook's, right?"

Truthfully, it's hard to say. She barely knows Jungkook apart from the way he's represented in the media: as an intense lover who only has eyes for his fiancée. Or, well, _had_ eyes for his _ex-fiancee_. Still, he has an impressive amount of protection wards surrounding his flat and she knows that she couldn't have stayed in her own flat any longer.

Not after the break-ins.

She's rather traumatized by the whole event actually; after a messy and unfortunately very public breakup with Falmouth Falcons' seeker, Oh Sehun, she had been the target of attacks from one of his fans. At first, it started innocently enough: with threatening letters in her mailbox that got increasingly more verbally abusive. She's still not sure whether it was one fan sending all those letters or if it was multiple. Regardless, that much Lisa could deal with but she drew the line at when a fan had actually broken into her apartment. Lisa brushed off the first break in as a figment of her hallucination; she lived in a safe neighborhood among Muggles and therefore didn't set up protection enhancements. But then she'd hear strange things in the middle of the night—thuds against her window, her doorknob jiggling—and it all escalated until one day, Lisa returned home to find her apartment trashed and vandalized. It's not like the thought crossed her mind anyway but the sheer terror that overwhelmed her when she saw the message, spelled out in red spray paint, warning her to stay away from Sehun only reaffirmed her opinion that he was a complete bastard, _especially_ when he didn't respond to her hysterical letters.

"Anything is better than my apartment," Lisa finally says. And it's true. Attempts to involve the police had been futile; the stalker was clever enough to get rid of any damning evidence and hadn't returned after the vandalism. Her greedy landlord also offered no help, just shrugged and told her that though they couldn't break the lease, they might be able to cover some of the cost of the repairs. In the aftermath, she felt so violated, so vulnerable and unsafe in her own home, that she could barely sleep at night and would minimize her time spent in the apartment as much as possible.  It took a toll on her, mentally, physically, emotionally and so she decided to leave. Searching for a place to live was difficult though, especially since she still had to not only pay rent and utilities for her apartment, but also fix the damage.

That is, until Jeon Jungkook stepped in, claiming that his step sibling, Hirai Momo, had mentioned that Lisa needed a temporary place to stay. Lisa still remembers finding the letter near her door a few weeks ago; for a moment, she was terrified that it was another death threat. But the letter seemed more elegant, with an intricate gold seal, and her curiosity had won out in the end.

"I just have one simple request," Jungkook had written, handwriting almost indecipherable, in his letter to her. "Date me."

Jungkook and Yeri were heralded as a power couple of some sort; they first met on Yeri's popular radio segment on the Wizarding Wireless Network and Jungkook continued to pursue her from there. They dated for a year before he proposed—a whirlwind romance that became the subject of many tabloids. Lisa still remembers hearing about the couple every single day while at work, how they took over as the topic for many columns. It seemed like they would last forever but then five months ago, Yeri was photographed not wearing her engagement ring. A few weeks later, both sides released statements to the _Daily Prophet_ that they had broken off the engagement. Since then, Yeri has more or less faded from the visible eye. Jungkook, however, had not been as lucky. He was already a popular topic among witches but after the break up, he was truly inescapable in the public eye; articles about him had even surpassed those of Park Jimin, who was declared as the wizarding world's most eligible bachelor for many years in a row.

So that's where Lisa comes in. Jungkook claimed that he was sick of it all but especially of the articles that still speculated on his broken relationship with Yeri and linked every mistake he made as a Chaser to his heartbreak. In exchange for living in his flat for free, all she would have to do is fake a relationship with him and hopefully cause interest in his past with Yeri to die down once they saw he was in a "stable relationship". It would be purely for business. And it seems like a solid plan to Lisa; by the end, hopefully she'll be able to find and move into a new apartment and Jungkook will have his name cleared of anything related to Kim Yeri.

"You'll mention us, right?" Lisa asks Jennie. Lisa has written for a few different columns: International, Local News and an experimental turned permanent column called In Another's Shoes, where she interviewed and wrote about those with unique jobs. It's how she met Jisoo and Chaeyoung; though Chaeyoung's article was rather short due to the secrecy of her career. She doesn't tend to write about the entertainment side of the wizarding world—but Jennie does.

"I will, I will. I'll mention it in the gossip column and during the sports column whenever Puddlemere United next play." Jennie points a french fry at Lisa. "But you better find some way for me to meet them."

"Jennie here has a crush on one of the Beaters," Jisoo says, laughing a little.

Jennie doesn't even try to deny it and sighs dreamily instead. "All the Quidditch players are so cute this year. Definitely makes writing about the games _so_ much easier."

Lisa cringes, thinking about her disastrous relationship with Sehun. "Dating a Quidditch player is more trouble than it's worth," she says. In fact, that was a major reason why she had been so hesitant about fake dating Jungkook. She still has the list, scrawled on the back of Jungkook's letter, where she weighed the pros and cons of declining. The cons had edged out the pros though—with factors like how the thought of spending another night in her apartment genuinely terrified her and how her reputation in the public eye was already ruined—so she had eventually accepted the offer. Lisa still strongly believes that getting involved with celebrities is just bad news. But when she sees Jennie, always a romantic, look determined, she concedes with a resigned "I'll try my best."


	2. chasing cobwebs

Lisa's the first to arrive to the café, hair curled in loose waves and wearing a plain top under an oversized blazer. After ordering drinks and pastries, she goes to sit at an empty table near the full length windows. It's a popular café in a Muggle neighborhood where many wizard families tend to settle down, mainly known for its baked goods, so it's no surprise that most of the tables are already full. Many look like students who are gearing up to go back to school in the fall; she spots many giggling among themselves and taking photos with the mural, a drawing of intricate expanded butterfly wings, spanning an entire wall.

 

The bell hung on top of the entrance jingles and Jungkook walks in, hair windswept and cheeks pink. His eyes are bright as he looks around and finally sees her waving him over. They've taken to meeting in public areas to talk, to draw attention and try to build this fake relationship up as naturally as possible. It shouldn't be long until they're officially linked together; loose lipped people wander around all the damn time anyway.

 

"Sorry I'm late," he says as he sits across from her, trying to catch his breath. "I had to interview a potential reserve for the team and it took longer than I expected. Uh, should I order something?"

 

He's already halfway out of his seat when she reaches out and stops him. His gaze drifts down to the her hand, curled around his arm as she tugs him back slightly. "I already ordered," she says. "Don't worry, I wasn't waiting long."

 

Finally, he relaxes, slumping a little in his seat and offering a charming grin that makes her realize why he's so popular. Contrary to Park Jimin's more flirty charms, Jungkook's popularity lies in the way he carries himself, confident and intense, not unlike the lead of all those romance movies.

 

"Thanks for doing this," he says, voice quiet as if he's confiding a secret.

 

"It's not like you're not doing anything for me in return," Lisa points out.

 

He tilts his head, the corner of his lip curving up in a lopsided, self-assured smile. "My favor might just ruin your reputation."

 

"My reputation has been ruined anyways, no thanks to Oh Sehun," Lisa counters. "Next time you play Falmouth Falcons, ask one of your Beaters to send a bludger his way, will you?" She's still bitter about it; it's not like she was famous anyways but she had been dragged into the limelight while she was dating Sehun. Of course, then after they broke up, she was painted as a vindictive bitch while he was coddled by his numerous fans.

 

Jungkook just laughs. "I'm sure Hoseok will be up for the challenge."

 

They fall silent when a waiter comes over, placing two mugs of coffee on the table as well as a slice of chocolate cake and some scones. Lisa bites back a smile when she sees his eyes light up at the sight of the cake.

 

"It's for you," she says, pushing the plate towards him while claiming the scones for herself. "My friend, who's a huge fan by the way, said it was your favorite."

 

"A fan of me or the team?"

 

"She's a fan of all cute guys. So that would include you, yes." Lisa shrugs when he shoots her a cocky grin; as a journalist, she's not one to lie. She's not blind, she knows that he's attractive. "She'd really love to meet you guys."

 

"Is that why you got the cake? To soften me up?"

 

Lisa pretends to be disappointed as she takes a bite of her scone. "Is it not working?"

 

"No, it definitely is." After a sip from the coffee, he continues, "If you want, I can get you access to the box and we'll come up to see you before the game. Or you can come to the after party."

 

"After party?" Lisa echoes. "You haven't even won yet."

 

"We're playing against the Chudley Cannons. Of course we'll win." His whole demeanor walks a fine line between confidence and arrogance as he digs into the cake.

 

Lisa wrinkles her nose, contemplative. "I'd root for the Chudley Cannons to spite you but unfortunately, I like winning myself."

 

"I knew we were dating for a reason," he jokes.

 

Her smile fades a little. Though she has a feeling that she'll get along fine with him, she's a little worried about his fans' reactions. Theoretically, his fans should be less possessive, having already seen him date and then even get engaged to another women. But in Lisa's experience, fans are never rational; it's impossible to tell how they'd react. It's just for show, she tries to reassure herself, and it won't last for long. Besides, she's been through it once. Nothing can hurt her anymore, she hopes.

 

"Hey." She's startled out of her thoughts when Jungkook speaks up, reaching across the table to touch her hand. "I'm not Sehun," he says, accurately reading her thoughts. She hasn't told him fully about her disastrous relationship with Sehun but just vaguely enough to let him know that Sehun didn't intervene at all the entire time she was threatened by his fan. Or fans. "I'll try my best to keep you safe during this, I promise."

 

Lisa exhales, looking down in an attempt to hide her burning cheeks. Promises don't really hold much weight with her anymore but she appreciates the thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh my god, Lisa, are you alright?" The exclamation, spoken the moment Lisa entered Chaeyoung's apartment a few days later, is accompanied by Chaeyoung squishing Lisa's cheeks and turning her face roughly from side to side as Chaeyoung looks for injuries.

 

"Not anymore," Lisa says as she musters up her strength and stumbles away. "Were you trying to decapitate me?" she demands, rubbing at her jaw.

 

Chaeyoung pats Lisa's cheek guiltily. "I thought you were kidnapped or something. Your apartment is a mess."

 

"Someone broke into it," Lisa says as she follows Chaeyoung in and shuts the door behind her. She should have known; Chaeyoung has the tendency to head to Lisa's apartment first instead her own after long periods away. "I sent you a letter about it a while ago."

 

"I got back like, an hour ago," Chaeyoung defends herself as she picks out Lisa's letter from among the numerous letters on the ground. Chaeyoung manages to both read the contents while making a beeline for the fridge without tripping. Lisa chooses to faceplant on the couch instead of joining Chaeyoung. "You kept my fridge stocked!"

 

"I moved everything from my fridge to yours," Lisa admits, voice muffled by the cushions. She groans. "I still have so much shit over in my apartment." She only took the most important things to Jungkook's since she didn't want to intrude too much but she misses the variety of clothes she had to choose from.

 

"I can help you grab the rest later," Chaeyoung offers. She joins Lisa on the couch with a tub of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. "What? It's almost finished!" Chaeyoung protests at Lisa's judgmental glance.

 

"I'm not judging you because you're eating out of the tub, I'm judging you because you didn't bring me a spoon." Lisa willingly accepts the spoonful of ice cream Chaeyoung wordlessly holds out to her before flopping back down on the coach again. It takes Lisa a moment to remember what she's here for—truthfully, she's almost lulled to sleep by the quiet sounds of Chaeyoung eating. She nudges Chaeyoung's leg with her own foot. "Next Tuesday."

 

"What about it?"

 

"We're going to a Quidditch game." Lisa yawns. "To meet Puddlemere United." 

 

Chaeyoung blinks. "That's it? You could have just sent me a letter if that's all you have to say."

 

"Excuse you, you were the one who were freaking out about me. Besides, I wanted to see you." Lisa huffs without any real malice and makes a move to get off the couch. "See if I ever try to visit you again."

 

"No, stay," Chaeyoung whines, pushing Lisa back down with her foot. "You're always welcome here, my love."

 

"Good," Lisa says, "because I'm staying over here tonight."

 

"What? You said you were staying with Jungkook, right?"

 

"I am, but I feel awkward there." He's home even less than she anticipated; it's not his fault but she often wakes up ridiculously early in the morning to the sound of him moving about the living room as he gets ready to leave for practice. When he returns, it's either close to midnight or he doesn't return at all. She rarely talks to him outside of their meetings outside simply because she just doesn't have the opportunity to. It's not like she expected to talk to him a lot but the lack of communication bothers her a little; she didn't expect him to be this busy. "I wasn't expecting you to be back today anyway."

 

"I wasn't supposed to be back today either," Chaeyoung admits. "Got my assignment cut off a little early because I got hurt." At Lisa's inquiring look, she lifts up her shirt slightly, revealing inflamed and bruised, blackened skin. "I already got it checked out. It just needs time to heal."

 

Lisa doesn't even bother asking how Chaeyoung got hurt; she knows the Unspeakable can't say. Originally, she was surprised to find out quiet spoken Chaeyoung decided to pursue being an Unspeakable. But looks are deceiving and Chaeyoung, who is usually shy around strangers, becomes really animated around close friends. Chaeyoung's even more perceptive than Lisa thought, the type that's quietly confident in her intelligence rather than boasting about it. She guesses that's why she became friends with Chaeyoung so quickly: they both shared the desire to dig deeper, to agitate still waters to see what lays beyond the surface. It's not always the best thing—in retrospect, Lisa should have listened to all her friends telling her that getting involved with Sehun was asking for trouble.

 

Distantly, as she drifts off to sleep on the couch, she wonders if she made the right choice when she accepted Jungkook's offer.

 


	3. the mess that you wanted

It's chilly the day of Puddlemere United's match against Chudley Cannons. Hands in her pockets, Lisa pulls her windbreaker tighter around herself, silently grateful that she also had the foresight to wear a woven sweater underneath. Chaeyoung sniffles from besides her as she ties her newly dyed red hair into a messy top knot to get her hair out of her face; because the Ministry of Magic is quite stringent with its rules and prohibits unnatural hair colors, Chaeyoung took the opportunity to dye her hair while she was on leave for her injury. Jisoo is reminiscent of a marshmallow with her many layers; though the dragonologist could handle extreme heat, she was very sensitive to the cold. Meanwhile, Jennie's dressed on the opposite of the spectrum, having sacrificed comfort for fashion.

 

Apparating to directly outside of the stadium would have been the easiest route but Jennie got nauseous too easily so they chose to travel by Portkey, which required them to walk for a few minutes. Thankfully, they reach and enter the stadium successfully without any other issues.

 

"Thank Merlin we're watching from indoors," Jennie says as she leads the way up a spiraling staircase. "I think I would have frozen to death if we were on the stands."

 

"You look hot but wearing a dress was a bad idea," Chaeyoung says. "You're really trying to impress someone, huh?"

 

"Who is it?" Lisa asks, vaguely remembering Jisoo mentioning that Jennie had a crush on one of the Beaters. "Namjoon or Hoseok?" She did research before she came here. Jung Hoseok was known for his duality on and off the pitch while Kim Namjoon was known for being a great strategizer, an important skill especially since he was the Captain of the team. Meanwhile, Min Yoongi, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook made up the Chasers. They were well known for their strong teamwork that allowed them to pull off difficult plays as well as their flair for dramatics; in particular, everybody knew to watch out for Taehyung executing the Dionysus Dive at least once a game. Broad shouldered and strong, Kim Seokjin was also famous for his silver tongue and quick-wit as well as being a competent Keeper. Lastly, Park Jimin, the Seeker, had managed to somehow turn Quidditch into an art form with his graceful flying and charisma.

 

"I'm not picky," is all Jennie says as they enter the luxury box. Jennie is a little boy crazy and along with her sudden fascination with Muggle movies, has drafted a bucket list of things to do before she turns thirty. She's always enlisting friends to cross items off the list—traveling by airplane is not something Lisa would ever like to re-experience—but if dating a Quidditch player is truly on Jennie's list, then Lisa suspects that one Puddlemere United player will be in for a wild ride. Because typically, what Jennie wants, she gets.

 

Jisoo is in the process of shedding all her layers when there's a knock on the door. A man leans into view without preamble with a cheeky grin.

 

"You're supposed to wait after knocking, Jimin," someone says in the background, exasperation clear in their voice.

 

Jimin studiously ignores the comment as he steps into the room and introduces himself. "I heard one of you has great taste and is a fan of Puddlemere United?"

 

Chaeyoung sneezes coincidentally in response, grumbling incoherently as she draws her blanket, which she stuffed in Jisoo's expandable bag earlier that day, closer. When Jimin glances at her, interest piqued, Chaeyoung sends a panicked look at Jisoo, who is sitting besides her.

 

"Not her," Jisoo chimes in before turning to Chaeyoung and scolding in a quieter tone, "I _told_ you that you were going to get sick but of course you refused to listen."

 

"I'm not sick," Chaeyoung vehemently denies as two more people enter the box. "I just have a runny nose and my head hurts a little."

 

"That's called being sick, genius," Jisoo hisses even as she fusses over Chaeyoung, handing the younger girl tissues while using a Vanishing spell on the used ones.

 

Lisa deduces one of the men to be Kim Seokjin due to the chest and shoulder pads he has on; Keepers usually wear more protective gear. The other she's not quite sure about: he's shorter, around Jimin's height, and is looking around with unreadable eyes. He looks like he was dragged here against his will by the tight grip Seokjin has around his upper arm.

 

"I'm a huge fan," Jennie says as she steps forward, scanning all of them before she flashes Jimin a beatific smile. He seems charmed enough, scanning her in a way that definitely doesn't escape her notice. "I'll also be writing about the game today for the _Daily Prophet_."

 

"If you're taking pictures too," Seokjin pipes up, "my left side is my better side."

 

A coy smile is playing on Jennie's lips as she says, "You don't have a bad side but I'll take that into consideration anyway."

 

While Seokjin and his companion—well, mostly Seokjin—engage Jennie in a conversation, Jimin openly stares at Lisa.

 

"Lisa, right?" he asks as he leans forward.

 

Lisa arches an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

 

"Jungkook told me that I'd know as soon as I saw you," he replies vaguely. "Anyway, he sends his apologies for not being able to come up here before the game. Namjoon wanted two Chasers to stay to talk about last minute strategies and he lost rock, paper, scissors. Although, with Yoongi's attitude, you'd think _he's_ the one who actually lost." Jimin sends a sidelong glance at Yoongi, who is making a half-assed effort to be social by nodding blankly to whatever Jennie is saying.

 

"There's no need for apologizing," Lisa says. She suspects his team members probably know, but she doesn't bring up the fake relationship anyway just in case.

 

"Are you able to come down by the Quidditch pitch at the end of the game? He wants to see you."

 

Lisa bites the inside of her cheek in thought. Assuming they win, adrenaline and team spirit is always the highest after the game; all eyes will be on the players and whatever victory ceremony they carry out. Which means that it'd be the perfect time for them to appear together and officially put out some sort of statement later. It makes her a little nervous to think about how many people are in the crowd today but her brain to mouth filter seems broken; she agrees before she even realizes it.

 

Jimin smiles with his eyes, Lisa notices, as he exclaims, "Great! Well on that note, we should probably start heading back down." His gaze lingers behind Lisa's back on Chaeyoung, then Jisoo. "I guess I'll see you after our win."

 

"They're a confident bunch, aren't they?" Jisoo comments well after the Quidditch players leave. In the background, the commentator has started to announce the players one by one.

 

"They have every right to be," Jennie defends them loyally. "They're better than most teams out there."

 

"Too bad the Beaters couldn't come," Lisa says as she settles into her seat. She leans forward, bringing her omnioculars to her eyes when she hears the commentator mention Jungkook.

 

"You know him: Puddlemere United's golden Chaser nursing a broken heart from our favorite radio host," the commentator says among deafening cheers. "Let's see if he can break through his slump and score an all time high in this match."

 

Though he doesn't make direct eye contact, Lisa swears Jungkook faces their box, annoyance clear on his face, as if to say _see this? _Lisa sympathizes; even if Jungkook had moved on completely, he'd never truly be free until people stopped finding ways to link his every action to Yeri.__

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"Yeah, it's too bad they weren't able to drop by," Jennie agrees though she doesn't look displeased.

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Chaeyoung points an accusing finger at Jennie as the older girl goes to sit next to Lisa. "You have that look in your eyes again," she says, sounding significantly more congested than she was when they first entered the stadium.

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"I just love a challenge," Jennie says cryptically as she prepares parchment and a Quick-Quotes quill.

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Chaeyoung looks like she wants to say something but ends up just sneezing again in response.

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Predictably, Puddlemere United wins—though by a smaller margin than expected. The energy from the crowd is infectious and Lisa finds herself smiling even as she approaches the pitch with butterflies in her stomach. In the sky, Jimin is in the middle of a victory lap while Taehyung and Seokjin seem to be racing each other while bickering. Hoseok and Namjoon are hovering near the edge of the pitch, talking to the audience with animated gestures. Yoongi, on the other hand, had waved to the crowd once before descending and getting treated for his sprained wrist, which he had stubbornly refused to get looked at during the game.

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"I'll see you later, alright?" Jennie says, giving Lisa's shoulder a comforting squeeze before pausing. "Unless you want me there for moral support?" Jisoo and Chaeyoung had left first when Chaeyoung finally admitted in a small voice that she might be sick just before the game ended.

____

 

____

"No, it's fine." Lisa tries to assuage Jennie's suddenly concerned look with a bright smile. "You need to interview players for your column anyway."

____

 

____

Jennie nods and hugs Lisa goodbye before going in the opposite direction, presumably to interview Chudley Cannons players first since Puddlemere United was still in the sky. Lisa approaches the railing that divides the stands from the pitch just as Jungkook, who had been tagging along with Hoseok, notices. He flies over, reaching her just as she leans on the railing, trying to act nonchalant despite her skin crawling at how many people seem to be looking at them.

____

 

____

_"Isn't that Sehun's ex?"_

____

 

____

"Hi," he says breathlessly. He looks good like this—cheeks flushed, hair mussed, obviously exhilarated, obviously in his element. His lips tug up into a proud smile as he needlessly adds, "We won."

____

 

____

_"Bae Suzy? That doesn't look like her."_

____

 

____

She tries to smile back, even as her hands grow clammy and her heartbeat quickens. "I can see that. Congrats." Unconsciously, she looks past him and down at the crowd, then pitch. She regrets the decision immediately; the view just seems to make her even more lightheaded.

____

 

____

_"No, I'm talking about the most recent one. The Veela? I heard she seduced him . . . almost ruined his career and his life."_

____

 

____

And Lisa's 21 again, reeling from a string of failed first dates and short lived relationships, flattered that someone as handsome as Sehun had stayed beyond the first, second, tenth date for once. She's 22 when she's officially head over heels in love with him and can't see a future without him. 23 when she realizes she's going to have to try because the image of him kissing another woman, the memory of him coldly breaking up with her the day after right before a Quidditch game, is seared into her brain.

____

 

____

"Lisa!" Jungkook's voice cuts through her clouded mind and she's brought back to reality with a sharp gasp. It's with a detached mind that she notices her knuckles are turning white. Her nails dig painfully into the palm of her hands. And her heart is racing faster, faster, _faster_ and—

____

 

____

She realizes belatedly that Jungkook is so close now, has taken both hands off his broom in favor of uncurling her hands gently. Her hands feel heavy, like they aren't even her's. She hears her heartbeat—a rhythmic, fast paced thumping that only serves to make her restless. She hears insidious gossip in the background, innocent chatter, the footstep of people leaving and panic strikes up within her when she realizes his mouth is moving and she can't hear _him_ anymore.

____

 

____

_Breathe_ , Jungkook mouths and she takes a shuddering, shallow breath in. Releases it just as rapidly because her chest is constricting. Tries to inhale deeply again, fails because it feels like everything is spiraling out of her control. In her peripheral vision, she can see some people curiously watching them before Jungkook runs his index finger along the curve of her ear and untucks her hair, letting it fall as a curtain between her and any spectators. Her free hand automatically goes to grip the railing, legs weak as he moves to block her vision from the other side. Through the haze, she focuses on the way he's still running his thumb over the red crescent moon markings on her palm. Tries to match her breathing with the motions. Inhales when he moves his thumb towards her fingers. Exhales when he moves in the opposite direction.

____

 

____

Inhales, exhales, repeats and rinse and _finally_ , the ringing in her ears subsides a little, the fogginess of her brain clears a little.

____

 

____

She drops her head. Closes her eyes in exhaustion and humiliation.

____

 

____

It's instinctive; she leans into his touch when he reaches up, hand warm as he wipes away her tears.

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

Lisa mutters an apology when Kim Seokjin jumps in alarm, having exited the changing room to the sight of her lingering a few feet away. He looks like a deer in headlights for a moment, hand frozen on the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder before he seems to recognize her.

____

 

____

"Sorry," Lisa repeats, pink rising to her cheeks under his gaze. She fidgets with her fingers. "Is, uh, Jungkook still there?" Shortly after Lisa's anxiety attack, Yoongi appeared seemingly out of nowhere to guide her away from all the spectators and into a empty room where she could die of embarrassment in peace. She had half a mind to just leave right after that—she didn't expect to be as affected as she ended up being—but she figured that she owed it to Jungkook to apologize. So here she is, having been able to bypass security due to Taehyung and Jimin, who she ran into while they were leaving earlier.

____

 

____

It takes a moment for Seokjin to respond. "Yeah," he eventually says. "He'll be out in a moment. I can tell him to hurry, if you want?"

____

 

____

She shakes her head quickly. "No, it's fine. I can wait."

____

 

____

"Okay." Seokjin steps around her as if to leave but pauses before he completely passes her. "So, um. You're going to be okay?"

____

 

____

Lisa nods mutely, not trusting her own voice.

____

 

____

"Good. I'll see you later then, Lisa." Seokjin waves before leaving, humming under his breath.

____

 

____

She watches him go, blush still remaining high on her cheeks. It's been a while since she's attended a Quidditch game since it seemed tortuous to go when it just reminded her of Sehun. But truly, as time passed, she thought she had gotten over him. Clearly, she was very wrong; Sehun's sway over her was stronger than she thought. Her shoulders slump a little; Jungkook enlisted her help to improve his reputation, not just drag him down with her. She glances at the closed doors again, hoping that Seokjin wasn't lying when he said Jungkook would be out soon. Hoping that there isn't some alternative exit to the changing rooms and that she hasn't been waiting here for nothing.

____

 

____

Her wishful thinking is not in vain; five minutes later, the doors swing open and Jungkook steps out, hand attempting to comb through his damp and tangled hair. He's dressed simply in all black, save for the white towel he has hanging around his shoulders. Similar to Seokjin and all the other players who Lisa ran into earlier, he's carrying a sports bag over shoulder, but he's also holding two Firebolt brooms in each hand.

____

 

____

"Jungkook," she calls out when he doesn't seem to notice her. She immediately apologizes when he flinches in response.

____

 

____

"Lisa?" He looks relieved to see her, stopping in his tracks so that she can catch up. "I'm glad you stayed," he continues as she falls in step with him, the scent of peaches lingering in the air around him. "Let's call this arrangement off."

____

 

____

It takes everything in her not to freeze in confusion. "Call it off?" she echoes a bit dumbly.

____

 

____

Jungkook glances at her, adjusting his stride when he realizes she's struggling to keep up with her shorter steps. "Yeah." You can stay at my place for long as you like but let's end this fake relationship here. I'm officially breaking up with you."

____

 

____

"What? Why?" she presses, brows furrowing when he doesn't elaborate.

____

 

____

"Don't worry, you can stay at my place for as long as you need." Jungkook completely mistakes the cause of her concern. "I just—look, I didn't know you would be so . . ." he trails off, as if whatever word he's searching for is at the tip of his tongue but he can't seem to verbalize it.

____

 

____

"Weak?" Lisa supplies, unwarranted annoyance spreading throughout her. "Emotional? Unstable?"

____

 

____

"Not at all. Besides, showing weakness and emotion isn't a bad thing." Jungkook comes to an abrupt stop in front of a broom closet. Lisa takes a step back as he unlocks it and places both brooms in there. He turns to face her after he's done; she's struck, not for the first time, by how emotive his eyes are. "Being unstable is more questionable but . . . I just didn't realize you still carried your demons so close to you."

____

 

____

Lisa shrinks slightly, eyes downcast.

____

 

____

"I didn't mean to push you into doing something you're so uncomfortable with," Jungkook continues, voice softer. "I'm sorry if you ever felt you like you couldn't say no to me."

____

 

____

"It's not you," Lisa finally speaks up. Squeezes her eyes shut for a brief moment and turns away. "It's just—he, my ex-boyfriend I mean, broke up with me like that. Called me out in front of everyone after winning and just broke up with me." She still remembers the collective gasp from the entire stadium, how her devastated face was plastered over every magazine and even the _Daily Prophet_ the following day. "I'm over him, I swear but . . . I guess the way he broke-up with me affected me more than I thought."

____

 

____

"I'm sorry," he says, lips downturned.

____

 

____

"Please stop saying that; you have nothing to apologize for. In fact, I should be the one apologizing for breaking down like that. Your name is probably going to be dragged down with mine."

____

 

____

"I don't mind," Jungkook shrugs, "as long as it stops being associated with Yeri's."

____

 

____

"Well, be my fake boyfriend again then." Lisa says, barreling through before she can think about it properly. "I can't promise that your reputation will make it out unscatched, but I promise I can help you put on a show. No more whirlwind romances; I'll make sure it starts and ends with a whimper, not a bang." When he still looks uncertain, she adds, "Also, I don't think I'm in the right headspace to head back to my apartment yet and I would feel uncomfortable freeloading."

____

 

____

"It's not freeloading if I give you permission," he argues, albeit weakly. She can tell how much the association with his ex-fiancée still bothers him—even Chaeyoung, who had only been half paying attention to the game, noticed all the commentator's quips about Yeri, especially when Jungkook fumbled with the Quaffle.

____

 

____

"It'll be a good experience for me too," Lisa adds when she sees his resolve weakening. "You can help me make better memories of Quidditch games. Show me that not all Quidditch players are like him." The more she speaks, the more determined she is. After chasing sunlight, they were both left with shadows they can't quite shake off; maybe this arrangement will be the solution to finally dodging their past.

____

 

____

A moment of silence stretches out between them, not suffocating, but deafening enough for her to feel like she's struggling to stay afloat. But then Jungkook is speaking, voice cutting through like a beacon of light. "Okay." He's smiling faintly, hands tucked into his pockets. "Let's do it."

____

 

____

She mirrors his smile as they start walking again. "Are you heading to the after party?" she asks curiously. She knows at the very least, Jimin and Taehyung definitely were; they couldn't have been drinking but they seemed drunk off of adrenaline while they were leaving to go. The girls were offered invites but Jennie was the only one who seriously considered the offer; Lisa's not sure if Jennie ended up going.

____

 

____

Jungkook shakes his head. "I'm kind of tired. Think I'll just turn-in early tonight. Are you going anywhere?"

____

 

____

"No," she says. Maybe she's not physically exhausted like Jungkook is, but she's still recovering mentally. "I have a book I want to finish reading today."

____

 

____

The stadium doors lock behind them with a small _click_ as they step outside. Lisa shivers at the sudden breeze, the back of her neck exposed by the low ponytail she pulled her hair into earlier while she was waiting.

____

 

____

"Let's head home then," Jungkook says casually and her heart swells with an emotion she can't quite put a finger on. There's nobody around them but he's offering his hand again. "I'll Apparate us."

____

 

____

"Promise you won't splinch me?" Lisa asks even as she takes his hand, reveling in the warmth he emanates. "You said you were tired."

____

 

____

"At worst, you'll probably just lose half of an eyebrow," Jungkook promises playfully, "but you could probably pull that off anyway."

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

 

____

"So you and Jeon Jungkook are a thing, huh?"

____

 

____

Lisa flinches when Park Sooyoung, one of the editors at the Daily Prophet, abruptly shoves a magazine in front of her face. She nearly goes cross-eyed trying to look at the picture before the rational part of her remembers she could just lean back.

____

 

____

The magazine is folded in half, opened to a page with a zoomed in photo with giant headline: _PUDDLEMERE UNITED'S CHASER MOVES ON?_ Lisa stares at it blankly; she remembers the moment all too well—on the verge of breaking down, face red, mind reeling, eyes glassy. The moving photo reflects none of that. Compositionally, it's a horrible photo, at an extreme angle with Jungkook's back taking up the most space. But it still looks like an oddly intimate moment; she can make out herself in the photo, eyes closed and leaning into Jungkook's touch as he wipes away a tear.

____

 

____

"We're . . . something," Lisa just responds vaguely, much to Sooyoung's displeasure.

____

 

____

"You're the talk of the town," Sooyoung continues as she takes the magazine back and inspects the photo again. "He's cute though. You seem to have a thing for Quidditch players."

____

 

____

Lisa just shrugs, lips quirking. Lets Sooyoung come to her own conclusions because the truth is something just between her and him.

____

 

____

(And, well, their closest friends too.)

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for any formatting errors! i’m doing everything from my phone for a while and cross posting is hard :(


	4. maybe spring noticed

When Lisa enters Jennie's apartment, her attention is drawn to the massive ovular egg that sits on the dining table, held in place by the colorful jumpers scrunched up and placed around it. It's easily at least two hand widths wide and three hand widths long and is a matte, uneven dark grey color.

 

"Don't touch it!" Jisoo's voice rings out in the air. Jisoo leans out of Jennie's room looking a bit frazzled. "It's a Hungarian Horntail egg," she says. Lisa's eyes widen in surprise; Hungarian Horntails are notorious for their aggressiveness and are considered one of the most dangerous types of dragons. "Taeyong will have my head if I let anything happen to it before I reach the sanctuary."

 

Lisa pulls a face as she shrugs off her outer layer and tosses it on the couch carelessly. "When do you have to leave?"

 

Jisoo has ducked back into Jennie's room again; when Lisa passes the bedroom on her way to the kitchen, she sees that Jisoo is trying to reorganize her suitcase, clothes strewn on Jennie's bed. "After dinner, probably. The Portkey is set to work at midnight."

 

Jennie is in the kitchen, crouching by her opened oven as she inspects the strawberry pie she baked with a pout. Lisa chooses to keep quiet once she sees the slightly charred crust and instead goes to pour herself a glass of water.

 

She takes a sip, gaze drifting around the apartment. It's cozy, with a lot of personality despite the simple white walls and wooden floors; trinkets are scattered everywhere along with numerous potted succulents. She swears she sees someone's wand sticking out between two couch cushions—a dangerous place to leave something that could so easily snap. "Where's Nayeon?"

 

"Visiting family in South Korea," Jennie responds absently as she grabs oven mitts to take the pie out. At the sound of someone knocking, she adds, "Can you get it, Lisa?"

 

Even though Jennie has her back to her, Lisa nods anyway, heading towards her door. To her surprise, it's not Chaeyoung, who volunteered to bring take out tonight, standing outside but Yoongi. He raises an eyebrow when he sees her, clearly not expecting her to be here either.

 

"Is Jennie here?" He glances behind Lisa when Lisa doesn't respond, brain short circuiting, and just stares at him blankly.

 

"I am! Give me a second," Jennie calls out. Lisa turns around just in time to catch Jennie rushing into her room. Jisoo yelps loudly, saying something that Lisa can't quite make out but a minute later, Jennie comes out holding a black leather jacket. "Here," she says as she peeks out from behind Lisa. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

 

Jennie can't seem to meet his gaze when Yoongi reaches out for his jacket. "Thanks," he just says before leaving.

 

"Uh, what was that?" Lisa says as soon as the door is closed.

 

Jennie groans loudly, mumbling something incoherently. At Lisa's questioning stare, she says quickly, "Long story short, I ran into Hoseok on my way out of the stadium, went to the party because I was curious, got wasted, threw up and somehow Yoongi ended up walking me home."

 

Lisa blinks. "Wow," she says. "That's . . . wild. And here I thought it was just because you hooked up with him."

 

"Oh Merlin, no. I could never." Jennie shakes her head furiously, face red with embarrassment. "Not after that night."

 

"At least you met Hoseok?" Lisa tries to find a silver lining in the situation.

 

"That's true." Jennie glances at Lisa on her way back to the kitchen. "Did you know he has a girlfriend though? Apparently it's an open secret among Quidditch players."

 

"Who is it?" Jisoo asks, finally emerging from Jennie's room and looking significantly more calm.

 

"Kim Chungha. The captain of Holyhead Harpies," Jennie elaborates, naming the popular female Quidditch team. "They've been dating for like three years now. Which is crazy." Jennie visibly brightens up. "Which reminds me, I guess something good did come out of embarrassing myself in front of Yoongi."

 

"And that is . . ." Jisoo prompts when Jennie draws out the silence dramatically.

 

Lisa gets up again when she hears someone knocking on the door; this time, it's Chaeyoung, who holds up bags of take-out with a proud look on her face.

 

"I got Korean food," Chaeyoung says just as Jennie responds, "He said he'd help me get closer to Namjoon."

 

"Kim Namjoon?" Lisa echoes.

 

Jennie shrugs. "Why not? He's fit, intelligent and seems nice."

 

"Uh, what's going on with Namjoon?" Chaeyoung looks bewildered as she sets the food on the dining table, eyeing the egg as she does so. "And what's this thing?"

 

"Don't touch it or my coworker might use a killing curse on me for real!"

 

"It's an dragon egg."

 

"Yoongi thinks that Namjoon will go lighter on the team if he's dating someone."

 

"Okay . . ." Chaeyoung draws out each syllable slowly. She slowly moves the take-out boxes away from the giant egg, looking visibly conflicted on what she wants clarified first. In the end though, she just shrugs and says, "So can we eat now?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We were friends first, of course."

 

"Met when you went to watch a Quidditch game in person?"

 

"Isn't that unlikely? There are so many people there and I don't even write about sports."

 

"But you stand out, always."

 

"As sweet as that is, spectators probably look like ants from the pitch so no, I don't think I would stand out."

 

"More like little Legos but . . . okay fine. Why don't we just embellish the truth? We met briefly through Momo and then met again when you tagged along with Jennie for her column. And you kept coming back because you thought I was the hottest wizard alive and—"

 

Jungkook breaks off mid-sentence, grinning at Lisa's unimpressed stare. They're sitting cross legged on the floor, chess board between them. His smile drops a little as she captures his remaining pawn.

 

It's Saturday afternoon so she felt particularly lazy when she woke up, opting to stay in and drift off with her thoughts and a worn paperback book. Jungkook, unsurprisingly, got up early but also ended up returning in the early afternoon, later telling her that on days he doesn't have practice, he goes running. Because although Yoongi claims Namjoon goes hard on them, Namjoon isn't (usually) mean enough to make them practice on the weekends. Since neither of them felt particularly productive, they decided to finally come up with a cover story because they'd inevitably need one, sooner or later.

 

"Fine," Lisa says grudgingly as she watches him study the chess board in concentration. "I thought you were even sexier than Park Jimin and just had to have you."

 

Jungkook glances up momentarily, looking at her under unfairly long lashes with a cocky smirk. "You said it, not me."

 

Lisa can't help but smile. "Is that it then? Are we good?"

 

Jungkook finally decides to move his knight forward. "What's your Patronus?"

 

"My Patronus?"

 

"Yeah. Hey, you might be used to interviewing but I'm usually the one getting interviewed," he defends himself when she still looks skeptical. "What if they ask me about it?"

 

"Why would anyone ask you about my Patronus? If anything, they'd probably ask you something we already went over, like my favorite food or color. Small things like that." When Jungkook just looks at her expectantly, she sighs. "Mine is a cat."

 

"Ah, so the same as Jimin's then."

 

"What about you?"

 

He looks away, hand automatically going up to rub the back of his neck. "I was never able to cast the spell properly." There's a bitterness to his tone she's able to pick up on. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes how easy he is to read; he's the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. She wants to ask why but refrains from doing so when she notices he looks a little downcast.

 

"How's your team doing?" she says abruptly. "I heard Namjoon is kind of a slave driver."

 

"He's not too bad," Jungkook says even though he looks a little dubious. "Just obsesses about things being perfect sometimes. It's Hoseok who is kind of scary and will make us run drills over and over again."

 

"That sounds really tiring," she says sympathetically. The game has long been forgotten by now; she wraps her arms around her knees, which she has pulled to her chest while Jungkook is leaning back with both hands on the ground.

 

He just shrugs. "It's for the better, I guess. Prepare us for the finals and all."

 

"Jennie says you guys are already really good though."

 

"Not as good as the Montrose Magpies," he counters. "And the Ballycastle Bats are getting better and better each year. But we'll win this year."

 

He looks determined—as if he's never considered another option—and Lisa hopes that he's right because she gets the feeling that it'd be devastating for him to fail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be frank, Lisa feels like the star of a horror movie as she steps into her apartment and flicks the light switch on. Albeit, it would be a very low budget horror movie and probably wouldn't even have been picked up by an investor but still. Chills run down her spine as she looks around; it's not like she left it in total disarray but there are still books scattered on the floor, potted plants knocked over and most notably, the graffiti on her bedroom wall is still there.

 

(So, fine, it's still messy but Lisa never claimed to be super neat in the first place.)

 

"Wow," Chaeyoung breathes out, eyes narrowed as she runs a hand over the red stained walls. She shakes her head in disbelief. "That's insane that someone thought it'd be a good idea to do this."

 

Lisa doesn't think she would have been able to go back here on her own—she's still trembling a little, restless from even coming back in the first place. But she left a lot of stuff here when she moved temporarily to Jungkook's flat so she enlisted Chaeyoung to help her grab her remaining things.

 

"I'll start cleaning up the mess," Lisa says as she pulls out her wand, mentally running through all the relevant charms she knows. "Can you . . ."

 

When Lisa doesn't continue, unsure of where to even start with her belongings, Chaeyoung says, "I'll grab your clothes first then." She squeezes Lisa's arm reassuringly as Lisa slips by Chaeyoung to fix the living room. "We'll have this done in no time."

 

Right. Lisa flicks her wand and murmurs Reparo under her breath, watching as the shattered pot starts to mend itself until it's fully whole and filled with previously scattered dirt. The flower that resided in it, however, is definitely dead—wilted and yellow. Lisa picks it up to throw away with a strange feeling in her chest. It feels a little like closing a chapter of her life, she muses; if she were to divide her life using her relationship with Sehun as a turning point, this would definitely qualify as an ending scene.

 

She remembers being in Mahoutokoro, shy and scared at being all alone in a new country; since there were no wizarding schools in Thailand, her parents sent her to Japan because her childhood friend, BamBam, also studied there. It took her a while to open up—as a child, she was quiet mostly because she couldn't speak the language—but even after she started getting more comfortable, she was all too aware of the eyes on her. Even if she wasn't part Veela, she stood out so much anyway—a consequence of studying in a homogenous country. And when she started to finally understand the language, she had to deal with the fact that maybe staying ignorant would have been better for her mental health since not everything said about her was positive.

 

"Just ignore it, Lisa," BamBam said when she came to him in tears. Maybe they should be too old for this but he's carding his hand through her hair anyway, ready to start to braiding it because it used to be the only thing that would stop her from crying when she was young. Well, more accurately, he's attempting to braid it. It's been years since they've known each other and years since they've done this and somehow, he still can barely do a three strand braid. "It's not like you can do anything about it. Why do they matter anyway?"

 

She couldn't quite articulate it then but now, she realizes maybe it hurt so much because she really does value other people's opinions. It goes hand in hand with trying to become a credible reporter; she likes learning about others, likes sharing their story with the world. Wants to help others by being their voice. It's not like she dated Sehun for clout—perhaps it was foolish but she did truly love him at once point—but she couldn't deny that it crossed her mind whether she'd be able to reach a bigger audience now that she was being dragged into the limelight. Turns out, not only did it not work that way, but her insecurities from Mahoutokoro never quite faded and after they broke up, it was like all her fears were amplified.

 

She's starting to feel better though the more she fixes the apartment. She's grown a lot but she still has growing to do and is ready for a fresh start. Because no matter how much she struggled, life went on and she thinks she'll finally be able to move on too.

 

And true to form, two hours later, after the apartment is clean and void of any traces of her and the aftermath of the break-in, she finds that she can breathe easy again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I remember when I was a student and got totally lost. I went to Hog's Head Inn instead of here," Chaeyoung laughs as they enter the Leaky Cauldron. "I thought that I was going to get mugged. Made me second guess going to pubs in England, to be honest." Lisa is starting to think that she has bad luck when it comes to eating out because though a little shabby interior-wise, the Leaky Cauldron is full of life tonight, made vibrant by the crowd of wizards and witches.

 

"Oh right. You didn't go to Hogwarts, did you?" Lisa says absently, more focused on finding an open table than anything. There's a man sitting with his back to her at a table near the left side of the pub who looks oddly familiar—with narrow shoulders and dirty blond hair.

 

"I went to Beauxbatons," Chaeyoung says, "though I did visit Hogwarts a few times." Her voice is almost lost among the loud chattering in the pub.

 

The man laughs, shifting in his seat, and Lisa's eyes widen when she sees the person sitting across from the man: Jeon Jungkook. So that must mean the dirty blond is Jimin, though Lisa's not sure who the third guy is since the rest of Puddlemere United all have black hair. Judging by the third guy's height and wide shoulders, it's probably Seokjin or Taehyung though.

 

Although maybe she's completely wrong and Jungkook's not actually out with any of his teammates. She shakes her head, as if to dislodge her meandering thoughts, and looks away just as he looks up.

 

"Jungkook is here too," she remarks to Chaeyoung, glancing at him again and promptly getting startled when she meets his gaze accidentally. He waves, a bemused smile playing on his lips. "Let's say hi," she decides, not wanting to be rude despite knowing Chaeyoung's remarkable aversion to interacting with anyone outside of her close friend group in public.

 

"Alright," Chaeyoung says reluctantly.

 

"We won't have to be there for long. We'll just greet them and then find a table or ditch this place," Lisa reassures her. Lisa was the one who brought Chaeyoung over here—to treat Chaeyoung to dinner as a thanks for helping Lisa clean her apartment—and she knows that Chaeyoung would prefer to eat dinner with just the two of them rather than with other people she doesn't really know. Chaeyoung's introverted that way—the type of person who would pretend not to see an acquaintance in public just to avoid awkwardly saying hi. In fact, Chaeyoung often jokes that the primary reason for deciding to become an Unspeakable is so that she doesn't have to speak to other people.

 

As she approaches them, dragging Chaeyoung along through the crowded pub by her wrist, both men with their backs to her turn around upon seeing Jungkook point at Lisa and Chaeyoung. So I was right, she thinks triumphantly. Jungkook and Taehyung stand up automatically as they approach while Jimin stays in his seat, distracted eyes on Chaeyoung as if he's lost in thought.

 

"Oh no," Lisa quickly says, brushing Taehyung off when he tries to offer his seat. "We won't be staying long. We just wanted to come over and say hi."

 

"No, stay," Taehyung insists. "I wanted to meet you guys last game but bloody Namjoon talked my ear off about Quidditch formations. Plus, Jimin is paying so you can order anything you'd like." He sends a cheeky grin to Jimin, who snaps out of his stupor and rolls his eyes good naturedly.

 

Jungkook's grinning as well as he high fives Taehyung. "Let's see if we can make him go broke tonight."

 

Lisa glances at Chaeyoung, who's still standing half hidden behind her back. Chaeyoung shakes her head, almost imperceptibly, and Lisa turns back to face the Quidditch players with an apologetic smile. "We shouldn't," she says, grasping at straws for an excuse because she's kind of incapable of just saying no. "We were planning on stopping by Gringotts."

 

"Gringotts is closed by now, love," Taehyung informs her just as Jimon's jaw drops and he says, "Roseanne Park?"

 

And judging by the way Chaeyoung's face pales as she gives an awkward smile, well, it seems like they don't really have any other choice but to stay.

 


	5. wine stained dress

"It's been so long," Jimin says, finally breaking the suffocating silence. "I . . . I didn't realize that you were at the game."

Chaeyoung shrugs, unable to meet his gaze as she fiddles with her hair instead. "I mean, it's understandable and all. I lost a few pounds. Lots of pounds, actually. Started wearing eyelid tape and makeup. Dyed my hair. Kind of changed a lot, I guess."

"You go by Chaeyoung now?"

"That's the name on my birth certificate." She shrugs again and continues even as her cheeks turn pink, "I went by Roseanne because people couldn't or didn't want to try pronouncing Chaeyoung, I guess. They kept trying to find nicknames for me. But I realized that I shouldn't be embarrassed by my name, you know? If it makes them uncomfortable, then that's on them."

Lisa shifts awkwardly in her seat besides Chaeyoung. Both Jungkook and Taehyung have gone off in search for more chairs, leaving Lisa alone with the two. She would have gone too if it weren't for her unfailing loyalty to Chaeyoung. That, and also because Chaeyoung has an iron grip on Lisa's thigh; she doesn't think she'd be able to leave even if she wanted to.

"I didn't know you knew Jimin," Lisa says under her breath when there's a lull in the conversation and Jimin starts glancing around for Jungkook and Taehyung.

"We sort of dated for a little bit in Beauxbatons but I didn't know he became a bloody Quidditch player," Chaeyoung replies just as lowly. "And in case you haven't noticed, I like to ignore all my problems until I'm forced to confront them."

"You _dated_ him?" Lisa says, having not paid attention to anything after that.

Chaeyoung grimaces as Jungkook and Taehyung approach the table, each dragging a chair behind them. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."

"Tell what later?" Taehyung asks as he forces Jimin to scoot in closer to the wall. Jungkook follows suit, physically pushing Taehyung's chair over when the other Chaser just sticks his tongue out and doesn't move. Lisa swears she's only slightly impressed by his strength.

Chaeyoung turns scarlet and Lisa yelps when the grip on her thigh only grows tighter. "Nothing!"

"Are you okay?" Jungkook asks.

Lisa nods with a strained smile as she reaches under the table to pry Chaeyoung's hand off. "Perfectly fine!"

"I didn't realize you were so cute," Taehyung suddenly comments with a wolffish smile as a waiter approaches their table. "Pity you're dating Jungkook. I would have offered you a room if I'd known."

Lisa's not sure if he's joking or not but she can't even correct him that they're only fake dating because the waiter is in earshot. Her eyes widen when the waiter puts down three mugs and a bottle of Firewhiskey¹.

"I'll get the steak and kidney pies and soup out in a moment," the waiter says as he opens the bottle and pulls out napkins from his apron to put on the table.

"Wait, can we get a menu and two more mugs?" Jungkook adds before the waiter leaves.

"Just one more mug," Jimin interrupts before Lisa can, reaching out to stop the waiter one more time. For a moment, she's surprised that Jimin knows Chaeyoung doesn't really drink. But then she remembers they used to _date_ and now she's shocked for the wrong reason all over again. He glances at Chaeyoung. "And an order of Butterbeer²?"

Chaeyoung doesn't notice his look, having been studiously ignoring him since the others came back and finally startles when Lisa nudges her. "Yeah," she says belatedly. "That'd be great."

As the waiter leaves, Taehyung leans forward in interest. "So what do you do?" he asks Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung looks at Lisa quickly; she has a tendency to do that—look for reassurance—when she's in an uncomfortable position. "I, um, work as an Unspeakable."

"An Unspeakable," Jungkook repeats, looking more than impressed and maybe if Lisa is reading him correctly, a little jealous. "That's really cool."

"What department do you work in?" Taehyung says as he leans forward. He winks and Chaeyoung's ears turn red. "Promise I won't tell."

"You'll get her fired, twit." Jimin nudges Taehyung, causing Jungkook to spill a little from his mug when Taehyung bumps into him.

Taehyung pulls a face and shoves Jimin right back. "I wasn't actually expecting anything, obviously."

"You guys are so bloody annoying," Jungkook groans as he grabs a napkin to clean up the spill. "For the record, this is why I rarely go out with you guys."

Taehyung and Jimin gasp in unison.

"Is this a special occasion?" Lisa interrupts in an attempt to divert the conversation.

"Yes, it is," Taehyung says brightly. Jimin buries his face in his hands with an exaggerated groan though she can see him smiling through his fingers. "Our lovely Jimin here lost a bet."

"He didn't live up to his role of being a Seeker," Jungkook explains solemnly, "and was beaten by Taehyung, who managed to catch the Golden Snitch first in a friendly, but very serious, mind you, bet."

"Because you knocked me off my broom to help Taehyung when I almost had it," Jimin hisses. "I was sabotaged. Almost died too."

"You wouldn't have died," Jungkook dismisses. "Just might have broken some bones. Probably would have landed on Hoseok."

Jimin sniffs. "Have fun finding a replacement when I walk out one day."

"You wouldn't," Taehyung cooes. He manages to pinch Jimin's cheek despite the latter trying to bat his hand away. "You love us too much."

Lisa can't help but smile; they're definitely a rowdy bunch—if she looks around the pub, they're starting to draw quite a bit of attention despite their discreet clothing—but it's clear how much they care for each other. She turns to talk to Chaeyoung but her smile drops when she sees Chaeyoung looking down with her hands in her lap, a slight downturn to her lips.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Lisa asks quietly, reaching out to squeeze Chaeyoung's hand.

Chaeyoung nods. "I'm fine." Lisa can see through the smile Chaeyoung forces on her face but she doesn't push the topic any further when she sees the waiter approaching their table again.

 

 

 

 

 

Even with her head pleasantly fuzzy, Lisa can tell this is going to be a horrible idea. "No," she whines, shoving Jungkook's hand away when he tries to reach for her arm. The moon is hanging high in the sky; they've just paid—or, well, Jimin's just paid—and are now lingering outside the Leaky Cauldron trying to figure out how to get home after one too many glasses of Firewhiskey.

"I'll just Apparate us," he insists, impressively stable on his feet even as Lisa pushes him away again. "I'm a pro at Apparating. Lisa, you can testify."

Apparently Lisa has the memory of a goldfish because suddenly, all her doubts in Jungkook disappear. "You're pretty." She nods firmly, wincing when she hits her head on the wall she's leaning against. Frowns a little, because she thinks that was not what she meant to say. But who can blame her? She swears his eyes hold the secrets of the universe. "Good," Lisa finally adds belatedly and holds out her arm for Jungkook to grab.

"No!" This time, the refusal comes from Chaeyoung, who hastily separates the two. "You're going to get yourself splinched and I will _not_ be around to pick up any unattached body parts."

"Let them be," Jimin slurs, somehow managing to prop his chin up with a hand as he squats on the ground a few feet away. "They're kind of cute."

"Yeah. Don't take Jungkook away from us," Taehyung adds with a hiccup. "The night is still young." He stands up from where he was crouching and nearly topples over, only saving himself by collapsing on Jimin, who _does_ end up falling over. His head hits the ground with a surprisingly loud thud.

"Fuck." Chaeyoung looks frazzled as she dashes over to help Jimin into an upright position. "Taehyung, _down_ ," she orders sternly when the black haired Chaser tries to stand up again.

Taehyung promptly stays seated, blinking at Chaeyoung owlishly. "That was kind of hot."

"Fuck off," Jimin snaps at Taehyung, pliant as Chaeyoung checks him for any scratches. He reaches out in Jungkook and Lisa's general direction with his free hand, the other slung around Chaeyoung's shoulder. The motion causes Chaeyoung to stumble. "Take me with you."

"Jeon Jungkook, take your hands off her or I will hex you," Chaeyoung snaps, torn between still helping Jimin stand up versus dropping him to handle Jungkook and Lisa.

"She's really good at hexes," Lisa adds unhelpfully. She yawns. Tries to say something else but the words come out jumbled. "She's really . . . good."

Jungkook nods in understanding, as if the last portion of her sentence made total sense, and finally drops his hand and steps awayut. Which kind of sucks for Lisa, actually, because she swears he's like a living furnace and it's getting chillier out.

Chaeyoung pinches the bridge of her nose for a moment before sighing briefly. "Where do you live?" she says abruptly to Taehyung, who is now sitting criss-crossed on the ground serenely.

Taehyung stares at her. "At my apartment."

Chaeyoung takes another deep breath. Lisa tries to mimic her but breaks off into another big yawn that has her accidentally knocking her head against the wall again. Lisa glares at the wall. "Yes, but like where?"

"Over there." Taehyung waves his hand somewhere to the right. Then he frowns, twists his torso around as he tries to reorient himself and motions to the left instead.

". . . Do you know the exact address?"

"It's where Jimin and Hoseok are."

"They're not in the same building as me," Jungkook adds unhelpfully. "Betrayers."

Chaeyoung glances at Jimin, who still has an arm over her shoulder with his head dropped and eyes closed. Taehyung is still sitting on the ground, now arguing about flats with Jungkook, who has managed to impressively stay upright all this time. Meanwhile, Lisa has her eyes shut as she remains leaning on the wall heavily. "Okay, new plan. I live close by, let's Floo³ you guys home." She glares at Jungkook when he opens his mouth to protest. "No arguments or I'll convince your captain to give you drills at four in the morning."

The threat is like magic; with a surprisingly amount of grace, Taehyung manages to scramble to his feet and close Jungkook's mouth for him. And _finally_ , Chaeyoung's able to relax a little.

(Then, her grip on Jimin slips and he goes tumbling to the ground again.)

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey babe, you don't have anything to do after this, right?"

Lisa looks up from her book to see Jennie leaning over her desk, an expectant look on her face. Lisa shakes her head, grateful for the distraction. It's nearing the end of the workday and her day was mentally exhausting; Lisa was unfortunate enough to be so productive with her original work that she was tasked with trying to figure out how to convert their newspaper into a digital medium. It's not like she's completely ignorant about technology; though there's resistance from old fashioned pure-blood wizards, more and more wizards and witches have taken a liking to Muggle technology—in particular, phones and the internet to a lesser extent. Some things haven't changed though—like the magic printing press they use to print and assemble the _Daily Prophet_ because it's both more environmentally friendly and easier for wizards to wrap their minds around. Lisa herself owns a phone equipped to deflect any magical interference—in fact, out of her friend group, only Chaeyoung doesn't own a phone—but the idea of creating a website is so overwhelming that she doesn't even know where to begin with her research.

"I have the feeling you're not going to take no for an answer," Lisa says between a yawn, "but no, I'm not busy."

"Good, because we're going to watch your boyfriend practice."

Lisa blinks, squashing the urge to remind Jennie to append "fake" before "boyfriend" just in case there's anyone else lingering behind near her desk. "Uh, why?" She glances at the clock. "Won't they be done playing soon? It's going to get dark out soon."

"I know, which is why we're going to get going now." Jennie reaches out to close Lisa's book. "We're just columnists and literally everyone else has left already."

"That doesn't make it right," Lisa argues feebly even as she gets ready to leave. She eyes her book for a moment, considering taking it back with her for some weekend reading, but chooses not to in the end. She's really not getting paid enough for this.

"We finished what we had to do today." Jennie shrugs. "The rest of our time will be wasted whether we waste it here or on the Quidditch pitch. "Well, even more in motion," Jennie amends. "I think Namjoon is starting to catch on that I keep interviewing him for a fake article."

_A fake article?_ It takes a moment for Lisa to get it, her thoughts still lingering on the contents of her book. Then, she's just impressed by how Jennie always takes control of situations: truly a woman of action. "You couldn't go alone?"

"No." Jennie wrinkles her nose as she leads Lisa out of the room and down the hall towards the fireplace to presumably travel by Floo, her preferred mode of magical transportation. "That'd be weird."

"You know, I'm pretty sure everyone on the team knows that our _relationship_ ," Lisa makes sure to emphasize the word with air quotes, "is fake."

"Still, you're friends with him." Jennie shrugs. "I'm not close to anyone there."

"What about Yoongi?"

"That git hasn't been answering my letters. And I never got his number," Jennie scoffs. She goes to search for a ceramic jar among the mess of things that line the stacked shelves located near the fireplace. Though there's a very aggressive anonymous sign posted next to the shelf that reads "LEAVE THE FLOO POWDER IN CLEAR VIEW ON THE SHELVES DIMWITS", literally nobody listens. It was Sooyoung who originally kept moving it around absentmindedly and then soon, the rest of their department followed—though Lisa's not sure if people are still fucking around with it at this point because they think it's a joke or if they have a petty streak. Jennie makes a small triumphant noise when her hand closes around the jar; it had been hidden behind a few books and a potted plant.

"So what's your so-called plan?" Lisa asks. She reaches in for a handful of powder when Jennie uncaps the jar and tilts it towards her.

Jennie shrugs as she puts the ceramic jar a row below where she found it, then moves a jar of pickles that are definitely going bad in front of it. "I'll just coincidentally walk into them or whatever and make conversation from there."

"That's it?" Lisa casts a dubious look at Jennie even as she steps forward to throw the powder in the flickering flames. Immediately, it erupts into emerald flames, burning with an intensity that used to scare Lisa when she was younger. Personally, she still prefers Apparation to traveling by Floo; there's always a niggling fear in the back of her mind that she'll mess up the pronunciation of her desired location and end up lost.

"Sometimes the best plans are non-existent ones," Jennie just says in response as she walks into the flames. Lisa is envious; she wishes she had half of Jennie's self-assurance. "Remember to enunciate!"

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

Lisa resists the urge to snort as Jennie smiles sweetly at the trio in front of them. With a slight twinge of disappointment, she notices that Jungkook's not there; it's just Namjoon, Yoongi and Jimin. All three of them look varying levels of tired and like they stepped straight out of one of those Muggle movies Jennie always likes to make them watch—with mussed, damp hair and wearing clothes that accentuate their lean builds. It seems like Jennie and Lisa caught them just in time, when the team was done practicing.

"Fancy meeting you here," Jimin says, puncturing the end of his sentence with a yawn. He shakes his head a little, as if to also shake off any residual sleepiness, and blinks hard.

Lisa murmurs a greeting, unable to meet his eyes especially after her talk with Chaeyoung a few days ago. No matter how hard she tries, she can't really see him in the same light anymore. The image of Jimin that Chaeyoung painted in her mind—charming but flighty, like a fire that's memorizing even with the destruction it causes in its wake—is something that Lisa can't quite shake off. As a writer, she knows all too well that there are two sides to every story but she hurts for Chaeyoung.

("It felt like it was too good to be true," Chaeyoung confessed when they were curled up on the couch, eyes distant even as she played with the blanket Lisa draped over her earlier. "Like everywhere we went, I could just hear people wonder 'What's a guy like him doing with a girl like her?' He never really got it, of course." A hint of bitterness tinged her words. "He's always loved attention. Has always been a people person.")

From besides Jimin, Yoongi nods towards them in a silent acknowledgement, eyes sharp and curious as he watches Jennie. Namjoon, on the other hand, is less guarded. "How's your article doing?" he asks, breaking out in a friendly, dimpled grin before he checks his watch.

It's only because Lisa knows Jennie well that she's able to see how Jennie's infatuated expression melts into confusion for a quick moment. But Jennie's always been quick to react; she catches on a heartbeat later and lies smoothly, "Great! There's just a few things I need to wrap up before sending it to my editor. We'll see if she approves. I could show you over dinner if you want?"

"Maybe later," Namjoon says distractedly. He pushes his glasses up and pokes Jimin, who had been falling asleep on his feet, awake. This time, Jennie really does look noticeably confused when he hurriedly continues, "Um, actually, Jimin and I have to get going, sorry, or we'll miss the bus. It was nice seeing you." Before they can even respond, Namjoon grabs a still sleepy eyed Jimin by the arm and Disapparates in a fluid motion.

Lisa blinks. _What was that?_

"The bus?" Jennie echoes faintly, staring at the spot they occupied seconds ago.

"They joined this conservation volunteering Muggle group," Yoongi speaks up, making Lisa jump in alarm. She had nearly forgotten that he was still there; he had been silent throughout the entire encounter. "Jimin has been going for a while and he managed to rope Namjoon in. Apparently they're going to spend the weekend cleaning up trash around some rivers in London."

Jennie still looks stunned by the brief, abrupt conversation. "What?"

"Basically, Namjoon would rather be around trash than around you," he says dryly.

"Better luck next time," Lisa murmurs in an attempt to comfort her but Jennie is already rounding on Yoongi.

"I'm _this_ close to strangling you," Jennie snaps before deflating a little. "You said you would help me. Isn't he supposed to be observant?"

"Look, Namjoon's kind of dense. He only has two things on his mind at any time: Quidditch and aquatic animals," Yoongi says, listing off each item with his fingers. He pauses, eyebrows furrowed. "Actually, well, he mostly just thinks tiny crabs are cute but that's besides the point. You have to be very straightforward with him or he'll never notice."

Jennie crosses her arms. "Okay, so what do you suggest?"

"I . . . get the feeling you'll tell me to fuck off if I tell you to just confess to him directly," Yoongi says, rolling his eyes when Jennie just nods in confirmation. She has too big of an ego to confess first; that's the whole reason why they're in this mess, why Jennie has met up with Namjoon a few times under the pretense of conducting interviews for a non-existent article. Yoongi ponders for a moment. "You could join a Quidditch team."

For a moment, it looks like Jennie is actually considering it before she shakes her head. "That's a dumb idea."

"Honestly though," Lisa chimes in, involuntarily wrinkling her nose at the thought. "She has no stamina at all. She'd probably play for a second before getting tired."

Despite the words ringing very true—because the girls _have_ tried to play a friendly match of Quidditch before and it took all of a minute before Jennie quit—she looks mildly offended anyway. Thankfully for Lisa, Jennie's annoyance is redirected when Yoongi speaks up. "Then why don't you come up with a better one?"

"I can't! Which is why I'm asking you."

"And I _gave_ you an idea."

"A really bloody dumb one. Don't you want your Captain to ease up on the team? I'm hot and smart. It should be easy to get Namjoon to like me."

"Narcissistic too, apparently."

Jennie sniffs haughtily. "It's called confidence."

"She's not wrong," Lisa speaks up loyally when Yoongi struggles to find words. If Kim Seokjin blowing kisses every game and calling himself handsome in nearly all his interviews doesn't catch him flack, then she doesn't see how the same couldn't apply to Jennie.

"You're right," Yoongi says eventually, exhaling deeply. Lisa blinks in surprise; she hadn't pegged him as one to admit his faults so easily. "I'm sorry, I did make a promise. I'll help you not-so coincidentally walk by again."

Jennie just looks mostly shocked but a little amused, mouth dropping before she composes herself just as quickly. It takes everything in Lisa to resist the urge to ask Jennie why she was shocked when this whole encounter was poorly disguised and planned in the first place. "You knew?"

Yoongi shrugs, a hint of a smile finally playing on his lips. "You're not very subtle, you know."

This time, Jennie is the one who is at a loss for words but eventually, she pushes her hair back behind an ear and clears her throat. "It's one of my many charms. But anyways," she loops her arm around Lisa's and then around Yoongi's just as naturally, "let's start strategizing."

 


End file.
